Restraint assembly for an animal

ABSTRACT

A restraint assembly for an animal having a front anchor member, a rear anchor member and a coupling assembly. The front anchor member is configured to be secured to an animal through an interaction with at least one of a neck, a first front leg, and second front leg thereof. The rear anchor member is configured to be secured to an animal through interaction with at least one of a tail, a first rear leg, and a second rear leg thereof. The coupling assembly coupling the front anchor member to the rear anchor member in releasable engagement, to limit articulation of a body of the animal, sufficient to substantially preclude a head of the animal to rotate and reach portions of behind the head with a mouth of the animal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Pat. App. Ser.No. 62/912,354 entitled “Restraint Assembly for an Animal”, the entirespecification of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/485,006, filed Apr. 11, 2017, entitled“Restraint Assembly for an Animal”, which claims priority from U.S.Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No. 62/320,798, filed Apr. 11, 2016, entitled“Restraint System for an Animal”, the entire specification of each ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure relates in general to a restraint assembly for an animal,and more particularly, to a restraint assembly for an animal such as adog or the like so that the animal is precluded from reaching certainbody regions with its mouth and/or tongue.

2. Background Art

The use of animal restraints is known in the art. For example, when ananimal has an injury, wound or sore, there are a number of differentapparatuses that can be attached to the animal to prevent the animalfrom reaching the wound with its mouth or tongue. One such example isthe well-known cone that extends around the neck of the animal and opensoutwardly on all sides of the head. Other examples include covers thatcover the affected area. Still others include cylinders that preventmovement of the neck.

Unfortunately, many of these solutions are less than sufficient. Ananimal using the cone can become injured when the cone hits an object,or objects become lodged between the cone and the head. The cylindersand cones can often be slid down the neck of the animal (throughconstant wrangling) so that the snout, mouth and/or tongue can extendfar enough to be able to reach the body. Moreover, many of thesesolutions are very uncomfortable to the animal, and can cause distress,nervous reaction and has potential for injury.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is directed to a restraint assembly for an animal, suchas a dog (while not being limited thereto). The restraint assembly foran animal includes a front anchor member, a rear anchor member and acoupling assembly. The coupling assembly couples the front anchor memberto the rear anchor member in releasable engagement at. A base garmentcan be utilized, to which the front and rear anchor members are coupledis also disclosed. In such a configuration, the front and rear anchormembers generally overlie the garment, and/or are integrally coupledthereto, while it is contemplated that they may be releasably coupled,or that the anchor members may be utilized without a garment.

With more particularity, the disclosure is directed to a restraintassembly for an animal comprising a front anchor member, a rear anchormember and a coupling assembly. The front anchor member is configured tobe secured to an animal through an interaction with at least one of aneck, a first front leg, and second front leg thereof. The rear anchormember is configured to be secured to an animal through interaction withat least one of a tail, a first rear leg, and a second rear leg thereof.The coupling assembly couples the front anchor member to the rear anchormember in releasable engagement, to limit articulation of a body of theanimal, sufficient to substantially preclude a head of the animal torotate and reach portions of behind the head with a mouth of the animal.

In some configurations, the front anchor member includes a first sideattachment region on a first side of the front anchor member, a secondside attachment region on a second side of the front anchor member and atop attachment region on a top of the front anchor member. The rearanchor member includes a first side attachment region on a first side ofthe rear anchor member, a second side attachment region on a second sideof the rear anchor member and a top attachment region on a top of therear anchor member. The coupling assembly further includes at least afirst strap assembly coupling the first side attachment region of thefront anchor member to the first side attachment region of the rearanchor member, and a second side strap assembly coupling the second sideattachment region of the front anchor member to the second sideattachment region of the rear anchor member.

In some configurations, the coupling assembly further includes a topstrap assembly coupling the top attachment region of the front anchormember to the top attachment region of the rear anchor member.

In some configurations, at least one of the top strap assembly, thefirst side strap assembly and the second side strap assembly comprises afirst strap coupled to one of the first anchor member and the secondanchor member, a second side strap coupled to the other of the firstanchor member and the second anchor member. The first strap has anattachment member proximate an end thereof. The second strap has afastener so that the first strap and the second strap can be attachedtogether utilizing the attachment member and the fastener, in releasableengagement.

In some configurations, at least one of the top strap assembly, thefirst side strap assembly and the second side strap assembly areadjustable in length through the attachment member and the fastener, soas to define an adjustable length.

In some configurations, at least one of the top strap assembly, thefirst side strap assembly and the second side strap assembly comprise asubstantially inelastic material.

In some configurations, the coupling assembly further includes a firstcross strap assembly and a second cross strap assembly. The first crossstrap assembly couples the first side attachment region of the frontanchor member to the second side attachment region of the rear anchormember. The second cross strap assembly couples the second sideattachment region of the front anchor member to the first sideattachment region of the rear anchor member.

In some configurations, the front anchor member further comprises a yolkhaving an opening structurally configured to receive the head of theanimal therethrough, and an opening structurally configured to receiveat least one foot of the animal therethrough.

In some configurations, the front anchor member further includes afastener configured to extend along a spine of the animal, to facilitatereleasable engagement and disengagement thereof from the animal. In somesuch configurations, the fastener comprises a zipper.

In some configurations, the rear anchor member further comprises agirdle having an opening structurally configured to receive the tail ofthe animal therethrough, and an opening structurally configured toreceive at least one foot of the animal therethrough. In some suchconfigurations, the rear anchor member further includes a fastenerconfigured to extend along a spine of the animal, to facilitatereleasable engagement and disengagement thereof from the animal. In somesuch configurations, the fastener comprises a zipper.

In some configurations, the front anchor member and the rear anchormember are separate members. In other such configurations, the frontanchor member and the rear anchor member are coupled to an underlyinggarment so as to be coupled to each other through the underlyinggarment.

In some configurations, the underlying garment further comprises anelastic material.

In some configurations, the front anchor member includes a first sideattachment region on a first side of the front anchor member, a secondside attachment region on a second side of the front anchor member and atop attachment region on a top of the front anchor member. The rearanchor member includes a first side attachment region on a first side ofthe rear anchor member, a second side attachment region on a second sideof the rear anchor member and a top attachment region on a top of therear anchor member. The coupling assembly further includes at least afirst cross strap assembly coupling the first side attachment region ofthe front anchor member to the second side attachment region of the rearanchor member, and a second cross strap assembly coupling the secondside attachment region of the front anchor member to the first sideattachment region of the rear anchor member.

In some such configurations, the coupling assembly further includes atop strap assembly coupling the top attachment region of the frontanchor member to the top attachment region of the rear anchor member.

In another aspect of the disclosure, the disclosure is directed to amethod of attaching a restraint assembly comprising the steps of:providing the restraint assembly; attaching the front anchor member tothe animal; attaching the rear anchor member to the animal; coupling thecoupling assembly to, in turn, attach the front anchor member to therear anchor member; and limiting articulation of a body of the animal,sufficient to substantially preclude a head of the animal to rotate andreach portions of behind the head with a mouth of the animal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 of the drawings is a side view of an animal having the restraintassembly of the present disclosure fully installed, with the animal in aseated position;

FIG. 2 of drawings is a front view of an animal having the restraintassembly of the present disclosure fully installed, with the animal in aseated position;

FIG. 3 of the drawings is a back view of an animal having the restraintassembly of the present disclosure fully installed, with the animal in astanding position;

FIG. 4 of the drawings is a top view of an animal having the restraintassembly of the present disclosure fully installed, with the animal in astanding position;

FIG. 5 of the drawings is a side view of an animal having anotherconfiguration of the restraint assembly of the present disclosure,showing, an elastic underlying garment;

FIG. 6 of the drawings is a side view of another configuration of therestraint assembly of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 of the drawings is a top plan view of the stiffener plate of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8 of the drawings is a bottom view of the front anchor member ofthe restraint assembly of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 of the drawings is a bottom view of the rear anchor member of therestraint assembly of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail aspecific embodiment(s) with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification and is not intendedto be limited to the embodiment(s) illustrated.

It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components,referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings by likereference characters. In addition, it will be understood that thedrawings are merely schematic representations of the invention, and someof the components may have been distorted from actual scale for purposesof pictorial clarity.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, the restraintassembly is shown generally at 10. The restraint assembly is configuredfor attachment to an animal, and preferably, a four legged animal, suchas a dog or the like. Of course, the restraint assembly may be utilizedwith other animals, such as pets, domesticated animals, wild animals andthe like, and the use is not limited to dogs. The assembly will be shownin use with a dog having all four legs, with the understanding that itis not to be deemed limiting, but merely exemplary.

The restraint assembly 10 is shown as including, optionally, basegarment 12 (FIG. 5), front anchor member 14, rear anchor member 16 andcoupling assembly 18. It will be understood that in some configurations,it may be desirable to eliminate the base garment, relying instead on anopen configuration utilizing the anchor members and the couplingassembly 18. In other configurations, the base garment may be varied toprotect/cover a greater or lesser amount of the animal. In theconfiguration shown, the base garment includes a general covering of theanimal between the neck and the tail, and much of the legs of theanimal. The garment, therefore, includes front leg openings 20, back legopenings 22, neck opening 24 and tail openings 26.

With reference to FIG. 5, the base garment can be made from a number ofdifferent materials. In one configuration, the base garment can be madefrom an elastic material that includes anti-microbial properties. Theelastic material may provide a compress and may provide compression tothe body of the user. The elastic material is likewise breathable, toallow for wound healing and the like, and to maintain the animal inrelative comfort. Depending on the configuration, the garment may bemade from multiple separate components or sections that are sewn orotherwise attached together. It will further be understood that thecertain portions of the garment may be releasably attached to itself.For example, certain portions of the garment may include an opening or aseparation that can be joined through Velcro or a zipper, as well asother releasably attachable structures. It will be understood that whenVelcro or the like is referenced herein, it will include all types ofother fasteners, such as other hook and loop fasteners, snaps, clips,zippers, releasable adhesives, buttons, among others.

For example, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 5, a single garment iscontemplated, wherein the garment includes a zipper along the length ofthe spine of the animal. Additionally, the garment has broad coverageover the body of the animal. In other configurations, such as theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, the garment includes twocomponents, which both form the garment and the front anchor member, andthe rear anchor member. Each member is separately coupled to the animal.Additionally, each includes a zipper along corresponding to the spine ofthe animal to aid in the dressing and undressing of the animal. It willbe understood that, in the place of zippers, other fastening structures,identified above can be utilized. It will be understood that in someconfigurations, additional components (in excess of two) may beutilized. It will also be understood that the garment is integrallyformed with the front and rear anchor members so as to be substantiallya single member. In other words, the garment may be minimized to apoint, where it is really the same as the anchor members, or may beeliminated altogether.

The front anchor member 14 defines a yoke 30 that is anchored to thefront of the animal. In the configuration shown, the yoke 30 is anchoredaround the neck of the animal. Of course, anchoring the yoke to the neckis not required, however, the neck provides a natural place to anchorthe front anchor member 14, as it is proximate the head. The yoke 30includes first side attachment region 32, second side attachment region34 and top attachment region 36. The first and second side attachmentconfigurations extend on opposing sides of the animal and generallyalong the ribs toward the hips of the animal. The top attachment region36 extends along the spine of the animal. It will be understood thatadditional attachment regions may be supplied and the locations of theseattachment regions can be varied to some degree.

The rear anchor member 16 defines a girdle 40 that is anchored to theback of the animal. In the configuration shown, the rear anchor memberextends above the tail and then below the tail and around the back ofthe animal so as to preclude general movement from the rear of theanimal. It will be understood that additional or other anchoring canoccur around the rear legs of the animal or the back and the rear legsof the animal. The girdle includes first side attachment region 42,second side attachment region 44 and top attachment region 46. The firstside attachment region 42 and the second side attachment region 44extend on opposite sides of the animal and extend from the hip regiontoward the front and the ribs of the animal. The first side attachmentregion 42 substantially corresponds to the first side attachment region32. The second side attachment region 44 substantially corresponds tothe second side attachment region 44. The top attachment region 46extends along the spine of the animal and substantially corresponds tothe top attachment region 36.

Generally, the front and rear anchor members 14, 16 are formed from amore rigid, and generally inelastic (or slightly elastic) material.Thus, the front and rear anchor members, while comfortable to theanimal, are generally dimensionally stable and location stable. Theseanchor members can be secured to the base garment 12 (where a basegarment is utilized) through stitching, adhesion or otherwise. It isfurther contemplated that the base garment and the anchor members can bereleasably coupled together through Velcro or the like. It will beunderstood that certain portions of the front and/or rear anchor may bereleasably coupled to itself to assist with the placement andinstallation on the animal. For example, the portion extending below thetail can be coupled to the rest of the anchor member through Velcro orthe like. Further, in some configurations, the garment and the front andrear anchor members may be integrally formed and coextant. In such aconfiguration, the two components essentially comprise the same singularcomponent.

The coupling assembly 18 is shown as comprising first side strapassembly 50, second side strap assembly 60,top strap assembly 70, firstcross strap assembly 80 and second cross strap assembly 90. Thecouplings essentially join, respectively, the yoke and the girdletogether, each in generally adjustable and releasable engagement.

More particularly, the first side strap assembly 50 includes a firststrap 51, second strap 52 and attachment member 53. The first strap 51defines the first end of the strap assembly and the second strap 52defines the second strap assembly. As will be understood the attachmentmember, essentially a buckle loop, is coupled to the first strap, andthe second strap includes fastener 54 which comprises both the male andfemale components of a hook and loop fastener. The second strap isextended through the adjustment member and folded over itself to engagethe male to the female components of the hook and loop fastener. Thefirst strap 51 is attached to the front anchor member at the first sideattachment region 32. The second strap 52 is attached to the rear anchormember at the first side attachment region 42.

Similarly, the second side strap assembly 60 includes a first strap 61,second strap 62 and attachment member 63. The first strap 61 defines thefirst end of the strap assembly and the second strap 62 defines thesecond strap assembly. As will be understood the attachment member,essentially a buckle loop, is coupled to the first strap, and the secondstrap includes fastener 64 which comprises both the male and femalecomponents of a hook and loop fastener. The second strap is extendedthrough the adjustment member and folded over itself to engage the maleto the female components of the hook and loop fastener. The first strap61 is attached to the front anchor member at the second side attachmentregion 34. The second strap 62 is attached to the rear anchor member atthe second side attachment region 44.

The top strap assembly 70 includes a first strap 71, second strap 72 andattachment member 73. The first strap 71 defines the first end of thestrap assembly and the second strap 72 defines the second strapassembly. As will be understood the attachment member, essentially abuckle loop, is coupled to the first strap, and the second strapincludes fastener 74 which comprises both the male and female componentsof a hook and loop fastener. The second strap is extended through theadjustment member and folded over itself to engage the male to thefemale components of the hook and loop fastener. The first strap 71 isattached to the front anchor member at the top attachment region 36. Thesecond strap 72 is attached to the rear anchor member at the topattachment region 46.

The first cross side strap assembly 80 includes a first strap 81, secondstrap 82 and attachment member 83. The first strap 81 defines the firstend of the strap assembly and the second strap 82 defines the secondstrap assembly. As will be understood the attachment member, essentiallya buckle loop, is coupled to the first strap, and the second strapincludes fastener 84 which comprises both the male and female componentsof a hook and loop fastener. The second strap is extended through theadjustment member and folded over itself to engage the male to thefemale components of the hook and loop fastener. The first strap 81 isattached to the front anchor member at the first side attachment region32. The second strap 82 is attached to the rear anchor member at thesecond side attachment region 44.

The second cross side strap assembly 90 includes a first strap 91,second strap 92 and attachment member 93. The first strap 91 defines thefirst end of the strap assembly and the second strap 92 defines thesecond strap assembly. As will be understood the attachment member,essentially a buckle loop, is coupled to the first strap, and the secondstrap includes fastener 94 which comprises both the male and femalecomponents of a hook and loop fastener. The second strap is extendedthrough the adjustment member and folded over itself to engage the maleto the female components of the hook and loop fastener. The first strap91 is attached to the front anchor member at the second side attachmentregion 34. The second strap 92 is attached to the rear anchor member atthe first side attachment region 42.

In other configurations, other types of coupling assemblies arecontemplated, such as buttons, snaps, ratcheting devices and the like tocouple the two strap portions of each of the strap assemblies together,in a length adjustable manner. In other configurations, the yoke and thegirdle may be attached together with adjustment (coupling assemblies)positioned where the two meet to allow for some relative adjustment.Indeed, it is further contemplated that portions of the yoke and girdlemay be more elastic, and that limiting the elasticity may have the samefunction as coupling the assemblies together. It will also be understoodthat the straps may be integrally formed with the yolk and/or girdle asis shown in the configuration of FIG. 5.

Thus, by strapping all five of the attachment configurations of the yokeand the girdle together, the animal is generally maintained in a linearconfiguration. The animal is generally precluded from rotating orcurving its body in either side direction by the opposing side strap andinwardly by the top strap. Thus, the straps cooperate to maintain theanimal in a generally straight, linear configuration. It will beunderstood, therefore, that other straps or straps that are positionedin slightly different orientations may likewise maintain such aconfiguration. It will be understood that the in other configurations,the first and second cross strap assemblies may be omitted, and instead,only the first side strap assembly, the second side strap assembly andthe top strap assembly may be utilized. In still other configurations,the first and second side strap assemblies may be omitted, and instead,the top strap assembly and the cross strap assemblies may be employed.It will be understood that additional straps (i.e., strap assemblies inexcess of five, or straps of varying numbers in different location) arecontemplated.

In operation, the base garment with the front and rear anchor membersare placed on the animal in operable position. That is, the animal isessentially dressed with the base garment. In the configuration shown,the base garment comprises two separate components, namely, the frontcomponent and the rear component. In the configuration shown, the frontcomponent can be placed on the animal and, with the zipper across thetop of the garment, the garment can be coupled thereto. In theconfiguration shown, the second strap 52, 62, 72, 82 and 92, are coupledto the appropriate regions of the front anchor member.

Similarly, the rear anchor member is mounted onto the animal. In theconfiguration shown, a zipper extends across the top of the garment, soas to secure the garment to the animal. In the configuration shown, thefirst strap 51, 61, 71, 81 and 91 are coupled to the appropriate regionson the rear anchor member.

As will be understood, the animal's head, and legs are directed throughthe respective openings, and the garment is positioned to allow for therear openings to be positioned appropriately to allow the animal to bothurinate and defecate. Additional openings may be provided to addressparticular concerns for any particular animal (amputations, outsidemedical devices, openings that allow for the application of medicament,structures that permit the carrying of medicament or applicators ofmedicament).

Once the garment is placed on the animal, the coupling assembly can beemployed to attach the respective portions of the garment together. Inparticular, the components of each of the first side strap assembly, thesecond side strap assembly, the top strap assembly, the first crossstrap component and the second cross strap component are attached toeach other and adjusted so that when the animal is straight, the strapassemblies are relatively tight. More particularly, the strap assembliesare then adjusted so that the animal is permitted a desired degree ofarticulation of the body, sufficient to be comfortable, but insufficientto allow the head of the animal to rotate and reach a wound so that thewound can be licked or bit.

It will be understood that the animal is nevertheless permitted to move,walk, run, lay, sit, run, lounge, urinate and defecate as necessary anddesired, without substantial impediment. Thus, the animal's comfort anddignity remains, while the animal is precluded from reaching andself-treating a wound.

It will be understood that in other configurations, some of the strapassemblies may be omitted. For example, in certain configurations, thefirst and second side strap assemblies may be omitted (or may bepresent, but not utilized). In other configurations, the first side,second side and top side strap assemblies can be utilized, and the crossstrap assemblies can be omitted (or may be present, but not utilized).

In another configuration of the present disclosure, and with referenceto FIGS. 6 through 9, the restraint assembly has a few modifications.First, the front yoke includes a zipper 35 (FIG. 6) as with the priorconfigurations at the upper end of the front anchor member. And, thefront anchor member further includes a lower web 37 (FIG. 6, 8) thatspans across a lower region of the front anchor member.

Similarly, the rear anchor member 16 includes a zipper 45 at the upperend thereof (FIG. 6) as with the prior configurations. Additionally, therear anchor member further includes a lower web 47 (FIG. 6, 9) thatspans across the lower region of the rear anchor member.

With both the front and rear anchor members, it has been found thatutilizing an elastic material for the lower web of both the front anchormember and the rear anchor member, while the remainder of the memberscomprise a more rigid material (that is preferably non-elastic), comfortis provided to the animal while at the same time facilitating a properretention of the pet within the restraint system (and not providing toomuch freedom to the pet).

Additionally, in the configuration shown, the front anchor memberfurther includes a stiffener envelope 33 which is shown on one side ofthe garment. It will be understood that a mirror image of the stiffenerenvelope 33 may be presented in a similar orientation on the second sideof the garment. The stiffener envelope has a pair of overlappingstructures that define an enclosure. The stiffener plate 31 can beinserted into the stiffener envelope 33. The stiffener plate comprises apolymer material that is substantially rigid. In the configurationshown, the polymer comprises a substantially rigid polymer sheet of athickness of around 1 mm. A number of different polymers, such as ABSpolymers, among others are contemplated. Additionally, it will beunderstood that the thickness of the stiffener, as well as the shape andposition can be varied to achieve a balance of comfort while precludingmovement in certain directions/positions by the animal.

It will further be understood that the size and shape of the frontanchor member and the rear anchor member can be varied without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure.

The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the disclosureand the disclosure is not limited thereto except insofar as the appendedclaims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have thedisclosure before them will be able to make modifications withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A restraint assembly for an animal comprising: a front anchor member, the front anchor member configured to be secured to an animal through an interaction with at least one of a neck, a first front leg, and second front leg thereof; a rear anchor member, the rear anchor member configured to be secured to an animal through interaction with at least one of a tail, a first rear leg, and a second rear leg thereof; a coupling assembly coupling the front anchor member to the rear anchor member in releasable engagement, to limit articulation of a body of the animal, sufficient to substantially preclude a head of the animal to rotate and reach portions of behind the head with a mouth of the animal. 